A dog, Facebook and generosity help find woman a home

The plight of Mollie Stewart can serve as a reminder of two things: Homelessness can be only a missed payment or two away, and there are still good people in the world.

Xerxes WilsonStaff Writer

The plight of Mollie Stewart can serve as a reminder of two things: Homelessness can be only a missed payment or two away, and there are still good people in the world. Stewart was down on her luck. She wasn't a deadbeat. A college graduate, she worked giving tours in New Orleans for more than a decade before selling her business and moving to Massachusetts. That, she said, proved to be a financial disaster. She returned to her roots in New Orleans but lost her job following Hurricane Isaac."I sold my car to make ends meet," Stewart said, "I'd take the street cars downtown to look for work, but eventually I didn't have the $1.25 to do that, so I walked."The bills and living expenses began to pile on, but the job offers did not follow. "I had never been without work for three months," Stewart said. "I kept thinking ‘why am I sending off my resume into this black void.' " Rent went by the wayside, and eventually Stewart found the eviction notice on the door of her mid-city apartment."I had always wondered how people became homeless," Stewart said. "But in three weeks, I was homeless."Stewart needed a break, and that break came in the form of Braveheart, her 3-year-old Akita. "I love my dog; he is my best friend," she said. But Stewart was faced with the reality of having no home and giving up her best friend to an animal rescue group. Heartbroken, she made the arrangements to send the dog to a rescue organization in Texas. The move was facilitated by Gisele Landry of the Thibodaux Hope for Animals rescue group."When we went to pick the dog up, she was upset, and we all were teary-eyed," Landry said. "(Stewart) asked if we could give her a little time to figure things out," Landry said.If the dog went to the rescue in Texas, Stewart knew she'd never see him again. So Landry turned to Facebook and described Stewart's situation and needs in a post. "I was overwhelmed by the response," Landry said. "Everybody wanted to pitch in."Stewart spent one night on the street. She said she wandered around the French Quarter just to stay around people. When the bars closed and the tourists cleared, she found a group of people hanging out and playing music near St. Louis Cathedral where she spent the rest of the night."I felt safe around people," Stewart said. "It was a long, cold night."Fortunately for Stewart, Thibodaux resident Jeni Breaux saw Landry's Facebook post and offered a trailer until she can get on her feet. "Women help women," Breaux said. "We should promote each other and help each other out. Everybody has been down on their luck before. Everybody has had an emotional, spiritual or financial setback in life.""A roof over her head is a band-aid," Breaux said. "We are giving her a hand up, not a hand out, to get back to where she was taking care of herself and her dog." Landry said the Facebook post also garnered numerous offers for gift cards, donations and other help.Stewart is now living with Braveheart in Thibodaux. She has applied for work at local restaurants and interviewed Monday for a job at a local store."The kindness of strangers is so amazing," Stewart said. "I am so thankful for everything."